Beautiful Beginnings
by Sirifoy
Summary: James is rather fond of Lily, to say the least, until she comes back to school with…stay tuned! [James\Lily].
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Who do you think is the Head Girl?" James Potter wondered. He ruffled his untidy jet black hair as he grinned at a couple of swooning girls. He and his friends, the Marauders, were about to start their last year at Hogwarts. Peter Pettigrew, a blonde haired mousy boy, blushed as the girls giggled. James leaned against a wall as Remus Lupin replied "I have no idea, Prongs. Where the hell is Padfoot? He's going to be late for the train." James looked around Platform 9 and 3\4 searching for him, until he spotted him flirting with a girl, and smirked. Remus looked at where James was looking and shook his head "And he says he doesn't like her."

"Black! Get away from her!" Lily Evans roared at the Marauder who flirted with her friend, Marlene McKinnon. Marlene and the boy parted as they heard Lily. Marlene's dirty blonde head turned to Lily as she defended him "He didn't mean any harm, Lils. We were just talking." Lily's emerald eyes flashed with anger and she dragged Marlene away from Sirius Black. He ran his hand through his shoulder length wavy brown hair and chuckled. He had one thought on his mind: _'This will be one hell of a year.'_

"I can't believe that you actually talked to him! He's friends with _Potter_, for crying out loud." Lily exclaimed. Marlene decided to change the subject and asked "Where's Dorcas?" "Here I am!" A short, plump brown haired girl with chocolate eyes approached them. "Dor!" They shared a hug. "I've missed you so much!" Dorcas Meadows said to the girls. "We've missed you too." Marlene smiled at her. "I absolutely loved your love letters to _moi_!" Dorcas gushed. Marlene kissed her cheek. "Do you need help with your luggage?" Lily asked her. Dorcas sighed in desperation "Yes, _please_!" They shared a laugh and helped her with her luggage.

Nearby, James heard Lily laughing. His head swiftly turned to her direction and he watched her glow with joy. He has been in love with her since their 4th year. He pranked her sometimes, badgered her and hexed any guy who tried to talk to her. To him, she was perfect. He inspected her dark red hair shimmer in the sunlight as she tucked it behind her ears. _'Did she cut her hair?'_ "Prongs!" Remus bellowed. James snapped out of it and looked at his friend "Huh?" Remus chuckled "You've been staring at her again, mate. What are we going to do with you? Come on, Sirius is here. Let's get on the train." James complied, following him to the Hogwarts Express.

"I swear I _don't_ like her!" Sirius insisted. Petter Pettigrew, their friend, snickered and muttered "Yeah right." Sirius looked at the chubby boy and said mischievously "Oh yeah, Wormtail? How about I tell Prongs and Moony about _your_ crush on the Muggle Studies professor?" Petter squeaked "Oh no!" and buried his face in his hands. James and Remus laughed hard; she was strange, to say the least. "So who do you think is the Head Girl?" James asked again. Remus rolled his eyes; James has been wondering about it all day. Sirius shrugged "Why? What's it to you?" James pulled out from his pocket a badge. "You've got to be kidding me! You're Head Boy?! Why didn't tell us before?" Sirius yelled. "Does that mean we're not doing anymore pranks?" Peter asked worriedly. "No! It means that Prongs won't tell on us. Am I right?" Remus said mischievously. The other looked at him, shocked. "Merlin! I thought you would never say something like that, Moony. You surprise me, for someone who usually regards the rules." James said. Remus merely shrugged and opened his book where he stopped.

Their compartment door opened to reveal Lily and Dorcas. James quickly noticed Lily, asked her in a lower voice "Alright, Evans? How was your summer?" "It was great. How was yours?" Lily answered coolly. "Brilliant!" James answered happily. "Has anyone seen Tickles?" Dorcas asked them. "Your cat?" She nodded when Sirius responded. "Nope." He answered shortly. Remus looked up from his book and answered "Maybe he's after the trolley." "I haven't thought about that. Thanks." They shared a smile. Marlene came up from behind Lily and Dorcas and put her arms around their shoulders "Congrats, Head Girl!" "Who is?" James inquired. "Why, our Lily of course!" Marlene replied. James' face lit up. "What's that in your hand?" Lily asked James. He opened it to show the Head Boy badge. The boys were excited for him but Lily was both surprised and disappointed. She muttered "You've got to be kidding me."

They finally arrived. The Marauders sat down at the Gryffindor table. James noticed that Lily hadn't arrived yet. He saw Marlene and Dorcas sitting near them and decided to ask them "Where's Lily?" "She's with Mark." Dorcas blurted out before Marlene gave her a 'shut the hell up' look. Dorcas mumbled a curse word under her breath. "Who's Mark?" he asked. Dorcas pointed quickly to Lily' direction. James followed her finger and saw Lily and a Ravenclaw kissing. His heart ached; the girl of his dreams was in the arms of another. Now he knew he'd never have a chance with her. To his relief, Sirius caught up with the conversation. Sirius, who was equally curious, wondered "How long have they been dating?" Marlene answered "Since we left for summer vacation." James had an idea.

As Lily and Mark were kissing, he pulled out his wand and muttered a spell at Mark. He resumed eating and gave Sirius a wink. It wasn't long before he heard Lily bellow "POTTER!" He looked up from his plate to see Lily marching to his direction. "What did you do to him?!" She pointed at Mark, whose face was covered with boils. James gave her an innocent look "It wasn't me, I swear!" Lily shook her head "If course it was you, you arrogant pig! You can't bear to see me happy with someone else! I've had enough with your behavior, Potter. Grow up already!" and went back to take care of her boyfriend. Sirius stopped laughing when Remus gave him a look. They both looked at their heartbroken friend and decided to take his mind off it, but in vain. James did it to get Lily's attention and just for a laugh, but instead infuriated her. Dorcas shook her head, as if ashamed of James.

After the Welcome feast, Dumbledore had a talk with Lily and James about their new duties as Head Boy and Girl. As they walked back to their common room, there was a weird silence between them. Lily was still mad at him and James wanted to apologize "I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. I was hurt when I saw you with him and I couldn't control it." Lily looked at him and said "If you truly care about me, then let me be." He looked down at the ground in defeat and nodded "You're right."

Lily's eyebrows shot up; she didn't think he would take it seriously. James said "You told me very clearly last year how you felt about me. I didn't expect you to give me a chance." She looked deep into his hazel eyes and said nothing. He had no choice in the matter; if seeing her happy with someone else made her happy, that's all that mattered to him. He muttered the password to the portrait as it swung open to reveal their common room.

James was about to go up to the boy's dormitory when Lily called out his name "James!" He turned around "Yeah?" She said "Thanks." He mirrored her weak smile and bade her goodnight. As he entered his room, his friends wondered how it went. James dismissed that and said "She called me 'James'." The boys mirrored his grin.

Lily sat down by the fireplace. She expected him to claim his love for her repeatedly throughout the day, but he didn't. She could understand what he must have felt when he saw her and Mark together, but she really had enough with his childish behavior. "Lily? Are you alright?" She heard Marlene asked from the bottom of the stairs. She joined her. "I'm fine, just wondering." "About what? James?" Lily's eyebrows shot up. "How did you-?" "I had a hunch. How was the meeting?" She asked Lily. "It wasn't that bad." She told her about their conversation. "As soon as he saw you with Mark, his attitude changed." Marlene added. "Maybe he's doing this for attention." Marlene rolled her eyes "Don't be daft, Lily. He likes you." "Well, he has to face the facts: I like Mark and we're together now." "Do you really think he'll give up, just like that?" Marlene asked. Lily thought about it. She had never seen James like his, so wounded and defeated. "Yes." Lily answered. Marlene was unconvinced that he would stop wooing her, but she left it at that. "I see. Well, let's go to bed." And with that, their day ended.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

James had a rough night. He couldn't stop thinking about her kissing Mark. His friends had a hard time accepting his choice because they wanted to see him happy- with _her._ They knew he was serious about backing off and changing his act for her. James didn't know too much about Mark, except that he was on Ravenclaw's Quidditch team. He woke up groggily as he spotted Remus exiting their bathroom. "You look like crap." Remus chuckled at his disheveled friend. "Thanks Moony." James muttered as he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. "It'll be alright." Remus patted him on the shoulder and with that, James closed the door behind him.

Lily woke up and was quite cheerful. She couldn't wait to start her first day back at Hogwarts. She woke up her friends and they groaned loudly "Let us sleep!" Marlene shouted. Alice Stewart, their other friend chuckled "Mar isn't a morning person, huh?" Lily shook her head before saying "Flitwick will be furious if we'll be late!" Their first N.E.W.T.s course was Charms. "Crap. You're right, Lily." Dorcas muttered as she and Marlene got up and got ready quickly.

The girls were eating breakfast in the Great Hall when a boil- free Mark came by their table. "Good morning, ladies." Dorcas and Marlene smiled at him and resumed eating. "Morning!" He and Lily shared a kiss. "How did you sleep?" He asked her. Lily took a sip from her pumpkin juice and answered "Very well, and you?" Mark smiled and answered "Fantastic. So we have Charms together." Lily nodded. "I'll wait for you near the door, we'll walk to class together. How about it?" "Sure." Lily replied while looking at her friends. He kissed her on the top of her head and went back to his table. "You don't mind, right?" She addressed her friends. "No, of course not!" Dorcas exclaimed. "Mar?" Lily asked, asking for approval. Marlene looked at her and shook her head "No." Lily smiled at them gratefully "You're the greatest!"

The Marauders sat down near the girls. "Morning, Evans." James greeted Lily coolly. Lily greeted him back and added "Call me 'Lily'." A blush crept up her cheeks as she said this. _'Why was she blushing?_', It took him by surprise; he was used to call her 'Evans'. He had no idea why she wanted him to refer to her by her first name. Lily felt uncomfortable and said hastily while playing with her hair "It's just that we're going to work close this year. I'd feel awkward if you kept calling me by my last name." James chuckled and nodded "You're right." As they were eating, Lily remembered something "We have our rounds tonight." James turned to her "Huh?" Lily went on "You remember what Dumbledore told us; we have to walk around the castle to make sure everything's alright." "Oh, right! At 8, right?" Lily nodded "Yes, after dinner." "Alright." They shared a quick smile.

Lily met up with Mark and her friends were walking beside them. "So, how long have you been friends?" He asked Lily. "Since I can remember." She shared a smiled with them as they were walking. "How about we take a walk near the lake after dinner?" He suggested. To her and his disappointment, she had to decline "I'm sorry, I have to patrol, you know." Mark said "Oh, right. Okay then some other time." Lily nodded.

Mark and Lily sat next to each other during the lesson, as James and Sirius were at a seat nearby. Every once in a while, James would glance at Lily's table and resume working on their charm. Little did he know, she too glanced at him; she noticed that this morning he toned down his behavior and was surprised that he hadn't pulled a prank yet. But still, these were only the first days of the school year.

After a long day of lessons, they sat down and ate dinner. "Man, I'm famished!" Sirius quickly filled up his plate with chicken and rice. Marlene shook her head and said clearly "You're such a pig, Black." Sirius stopped eating and gave her a look. There was a deafening silence between the two groups of friends. Marlene resumed eating when a piece of chicken was thrown at her. She glared when she saw him smirking at her "What?" He asked innocently. She grabbed a handful of rice as she threw it at him, but instead it hit Remus; Sirius used him as a shield. Marlene quickly apologized. Remus was soon involved in the food fight, and thus a bigger food fight was happening at the Gryffindor table. James took this chance to get Lily's attention and threw some lettuce at her. She pursed her lips as James grinned at her. When James was busy throwing food at Dorcas, Lily crept up behind him and poured BBQ sauce on him. The others Marauders saw this and roared with laughter. As soon as Dumbledore and the other professors entered the Great Hall, the Gryffindors pulled out their wands and muttered quickly cleaning spells before they would even notice. "That was fun!" James admitted. "Yeah mate, especially when Evans poured the sauce on you." Sirius smirked at Lily. Lily shrugged apologetically.

Mark watched the whole scene and didn't like what he saw; Potter clearly had feelings for his girl. _'He always fancied her, and he still does even though she's with me. I think I should have a chat with him'_, he thought. Luckily, James finished his dinner earlier and was about to exit the Hall. Mark followed him.

"Potter!" James turned around to see Mark. "Hey, Valentine." James wondered what would Mark want from him. "Listen, I'd appreciate it if you'd stay away from Lily." James let out a scoff "What's that-?" "I saw the way you looked at her, I'm not stupid." He cut James off. "I can't do that. You see, we're Heads- we have duties together." Mark didn't think about that, he knew James was right. Mark sneered at him and said "Watch yourself." And with that, he walked away from there. Lily walked out from the Hall, only to see her boyfriend walking away from James. "What was that about?" Lily inquired. James shook his head "Never mind. Let's get this over with."

During their patrol, Lily's thoughts turned to her boyfriend. _'What did he say to James? What did he say to Mark?' _"James? What happened?" "You're not going to let this go, huh?" He asked, amused. Her silence was a cue for him to go on. "He wanted me to stay away from you." Lily's eyebrows furrowed "That's ridiculous. We're Heads! He's jealous; he probably thinks you'll make a move on me." James stopped in his tracks "I wouldn't do that. I told you yesterday that I would stop badgering you, so this is me keeping my word." Lily nodded when he finished what he had to say. As they were walking, they heard a girl giggle. "Where's that coming from?" Lily asked curiously. James smirked; he knew who it was. "It's coming from the broom closet." He opened a door to reveal Sirius and a Hufflepuff snogging. Lily groaned. They broke apart when they noticed who opened the door. "Hey, Pads. It's time you get up to the dorms." He said nonchalantly. "You're right, mate. Jessica, great seeing you." He grinned at the blonde as she sneaked off to her dorms. The three of them walked back to their house.

As they entered, they saw their friends sitting together in the common room. Marlene looked up from her newspaper and snickered "Where did you find him? In one of the classes?" Lily laughed and replied "No, in the broom closet." They shared a laugh when Sirius interjected "Jealous, McKinnon?" Marlene went back to reading the newspaper "Don't be ridiculous, Black. Why should I be jealous of your whores?" Dorcas stifled a laugh. Remus cleared this throat awkwardly. "You're definitely jealous because I'm the one person you want and can't have." Sirius said, haughty.

Marlene threw the newspaper aside in anger and stood up to face him "Listen to me. I _don't_ want you, _never_ wanted and _never_ will. Here's the thing; anyone can have you. You're easy to get, Black. You don't appreciate women, but instead you take advantage of them so you can fill the hole in _your_ damn heart. So have fun with your little sluts." She glared at him and went up the staircase to her room, with Lily following her.

"What was _that_?!" Dorcas shouted. Sirius clenched his jaw. He was silent; he was livid because she hit a nerve. He never had a proper mother figure and this was his way to seek female affection. He always saw Marlene as a target instead of really getting to know her. During the end of their 6th year, he tried to get to know her better and they surprisingly got along. He didn't understand why it bothered her; she never said that she liked him in _that_ manner. To him, she was the only person he couldn't have.

As soon as Sirius stomped off to his room, Peter said "That was insane! Do you think we should go talk to him?" Remus replied "Not yet, he's furious. We'll let him cool off for a while." James nodded. "He likes her but won't admit it. Not even to himself." James said. "I'll go see Marlene. Good night." Dorcas bade them goodnight. They muttered a "Good night" to her.

"Conceited, arrogant prat! He thinks he's the king of his school!" Marlene's face was red with anger. "That's how I felt about James." Lily said quietly. "Since when do you call him by his name?" Dorcas' eyes had a glint of curiosity in them. Marlene's blue eyes looked at Lily. Lily told Dorcas about her and James' conversation. "He won't give up that easily. He'll work up another angle to make you go out with him." Dorcas expressed her opinion. Lily shook her head "Let's talk about something else. Mar, don't pay attention to him. Black will never change, that's the way he is." "You're right, Lily." Marlene said. The girls brushed their teeth and went to bed.

"She has a lot of nerve, and to think we actually got along!" Sirius angrily fluffed up his pillow. Remus and Peter snorted. "What's so funny?" Sirius asked, still mad. James saw his friends laugh and grinned "It seems that _someone_ has a crush on Marlene." Sirius stopped attending his pillow and said "Like hell I do! She's annoying, obnoxious, and-" "Extremely hot?" Peter cut him off. Sirius glared at him and threw his pillow at him. Peter threw the pillow back to him. James stopped laughing and said "Wormtail, leave him alone. He's mad enough as it is." Sirius's face softened when he looked at James. He thanked him and entered his bed.


	3. Chapter 3- Sorry

**Sirifoy here, thank you so much for the support! Here's Chapter 3! P.S- Happy Birthday to JK Rowling and Harry Potter!**

Chapter 3

The next morning was quite tense; Sirius and Marlene weren't on speaking terms. As they were eating breakfast, Marlene spotted the pancakes but to her dismay, they were near Sirius. Luckily, Remus was sitting next to him "Remus, can you ask Sirius to hand over the pancakes?" She asked. "Tell her that when I finish my last bite of eggs, I'll hand it over." Sirius said coldly, without looking up from his plate. Marlene's face was soon turning red with anger. She didn't want to drag Remus into this, so she abruptly got up, grabbed the plate of pancakes swiftly and sat back down. Throughout the scene, their friends were dead silent until Alice piped out to break the ice "Frank and I have decided to move in together after we finish school." The others were happy for the couple "That's great, mate!" James said as he clapped Frank on the shoulder. Frank gave him a smile and thanked him. The girls were chatting amongst themselves and giggling happily.

It was the end of September when they had a trip to Hogsmeade. James, to Lily's surprise, kept his words and ceased pestering her and Mark. The trip was on a Thursday when a day before it Mark came up to Lily and announced that he had detention the next day. "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you to Hogsmeade." "It's alright. McGonagall wasn't fair, you know. You snapped because that idiot Lexington provoked you. There'll be other trips." They shared a quick kiss and she was on her way to History of Magic.

Dorcas and Marlene waited for her in the classroom. "What took you so long? We thought you'd be late." Dorcas asked her. "Mark can't go with me to Hogsmeade. He's got detention." Lily said sadly. No sooner had she said this, a note appeared on her table. She chuckled at the lily shaped paper and opened it to read:

I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Since he can't come, will you go with me to Hogsmeade? (As friends, of course!)

She turned around to see James grinning and giving her a 'thumbs up'. She turned again to Dorcas and Marlene. They took a sneak peek at the letter. "Sure, what've you got to lose?" Marlene grinned. Dorcas wasn't quite happy, on the other hand. "I told you." She said to Lily in a sing-song voice. She ignored Dorcas and knew Marlene was right and gave James a swift nod. She could've sworn she heard him cheer and high-five Sirius. She shook her head and smiled.

Sirius and Marlene haven't spoken for quite a while. Whenever she was alone, she couldn't stop thinking about their fight. She knew she could've expressed her anger in a more articulate way, rather than lash out on him, and also knew she hit a nerve; if she hadn't, he would've talked to her by now. She felt bad and thought she went too far. She wanted to make it up to him and surprise him by inviting him to go to hang out in Hogsmeade with her. She wrote him an anonymous letter asking if he would like to and if he did, then to meet her at Honeydukes at 11 o'clock. She asked one of the male Gryffindor students to put it on his bed. She told Lily and Dorcas what she had done. "Not a bad move, but why write an anonymous letter?" Lily asked, clearly confused. Marlene shrugged; she hadn't really thought about the reason. "Oh, just for the hell of it!" She blurted out. They laughed; how typical of her to do something like this.

"Do you think I should meet up with her?" Sirius asked his friends. He had found and read the letter and didn't know what to do. "I think you should. Do it, for the sake of your curiosity." Remus recommended. "She's going to be there anyway. You can choose not to go at the last minute." James added. "After a slight pause, James said "Maybe she wants a one- on- one date with the Almighty Pads?" and wiggled his eyebrows. Sirius chuckled and said "I think I'll do it; I'll meet her. I don't have anything to lose, but I hope she's not a minger though!" "What about Marlene?" Peter wondered. "What _about_ her?" Sirius turned his head to him and asked harshly. Peter ran his hand through his sandy hair and mumbled "I thought you two would talk by now." Sirius scoffed and put the letter in his pocket.

The next morning was their trip. Dorcas and Marlene went together, for the time being. James waited for Lily to come down, at the common room. He heard her come down and looked at the staircase. She looked gorgeous to him- she wore a dark purple v- neck jumper and dark jeans. "You look beautiful. Where's your coat?" He asked her. Lily thanked him and grabbed her coat which was on one of the chairs.

James and Lily walked around the small village. Other students looked quite stunned to see them together; they probably thought she would come with Mark. "Would you like some tea?" James offered. Lily smiled "Sure, where?" He turned around and nodded to a certain direction "Over there. What do you think?" She spotted Madam Puddifoot's tea shop; it was a place known for being a romantic place for couples. For some reason, she didn't mind. She knew it was a genuine friendly proposal. "Alright then. Let's sit there." They took a few steps and sat down in the tea shop. Lily felt quite warm so she removed her coat. She moved her hair to one side to reveal her milky neck and collarbone. James glanced at this and needed a distraction. He cleared his throat and asked "So why did Mark get detention?" Lily told him about Mark's fight with a Slytherin as a waitress came over and took their order. James laughed "It's kind of silly, isn't it?" She admitted "Yes, I think so." Deep down, she was relieved that he was in detention; she wanted to get to know James better. She wanted to dismiss her prejudice against him.

She found herself laughing at his jokes. She gazed at him as he asked for the bill. His nose was straight and long and his jaw was strong. His hair, well, was quite untidy, but she liked it. She had a slight smile on her face when he let out a guffaw when talking to the waitress. He turned to look at Lily, only to catch her looking at him "Like what you see?" He grinned at her. Lily snapped out of it and answered "Don't flatter yourself." They shared a chuckle.

Sirius put his hands in his pockets. _'Where is she?'_, he thought to himself while waiting at Honeydukes. He saw Marlene walking near him. He thought she was going to enter the store, but he was wrong when she stopped and said "Hi." She was wearing an overlarge purple sweater and thick black stockings. _'Why is she alone? How is she not freezing to death?_', he wondered as he muttered a "Hello." There was a slight pause. He suddenly had a feeling she was alone for a reason. "Did you send the note?" Sirius asked. She nodded "Yes. I wanted to apologize for what I said that night. I shouldn't have said what I said; I know I went too far." "I'm sorry too, I provoked you." They shared a smile. "So, we're okay now?" Marlene asked. Sirius said "Sure, took us long enough." They shared a laugh; they knew they were equally stubborn and proud to admit mistakes. "So, where are the others?" "Dorcas is with Remus and Peter. Lily is with James. It's just you and me, Black." She answered. "Call me Sirius." Marlene blinked and licked her lips. "Alright, _Sirius_." Hearing her say his name sent a chill down his spine _'What was that all about?'_

James insisted on paying after they spent a few minutes arguing about the bill. "Thank you." She smiled at him. He helped her put on her coat "You're welcome." He whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder a bit.  
_  
_

"So Marlene wrote that note to Padfoot?" Peter asked in amazement. Dorcas told Remus and Peter about Marlene's plan. She rolled her eyes at the boy and muttered "And I thought I was stupid." Remus snorted and said "You're not stupid at all. I think you're very clever." Dorcas was surprised; she didn't think he even had an opinion about her. "Why so surprised?" Remus asked her. "I didn't think you actually had an opinion about me." They shared a soft laugh.

"So, how was it?" Marlene grinned at her red haired friend. Lily removed her coat and threw it on her bed "It wasn't so bad. I actually had fun." "He probably didn't let you pay." Dorcas giggled. Lily laughed and shook her head. Marlene told them about her day with Sirius. "He told you to call him by his first name? He definitely likes you!" Dorcas squealed. Marlene rolled her eyes and Lily groaned "Really? I hope he doesn't. He's a man-whore." Marlene and Dorcas looked at each other for a split second and cackled. "A man- whore?! Did you make that up?" Marlene asked her. Lily said sadly "Well, my friends back at home and I made it up." Marlene and Dorcas mirrored her sad look; Lily was a muggleborn who at the age of 11 learned that she was a witch. She and her childhood friends weren't in touch anymore, after her older sister, Petunia, blurted out that she was a freak and to be sent to a 'special' school.

"How was it with Evans, Prongs?" Sirius smirked at James. James had a goofy grin plastered on his lips "It couldn't be more perfect." Remus was worried that James' feelings for her will overwhelm him, so he interjected "You _do_ remember she's with Mark?" James and Sirius looked at him "I know, mate. I'm trying my best to act mature around her and be more responsible." Remus gave him a smile and lay down on his bed. "Who was she, Padfoot?" James wondered about his day. Sirius smirked and answered "Marlene." James' eyebrows shot up "Oh, she's '_Marlene_' now?" and mirrored his smirk. Remus snorted. Peter threw a pillow at Remus "What you're snorting for?" Peter asked loudly. "I was having a laugh!" Remus retorted. Sirius laughed and asked "Why?" Remus shrugged and said "Who would've thought you and Marlene would make up?" James thought of something silly and spat it out "Speaking of which, it's only a matter of time before we see them make_ out_!" The others snickered before Sirius tackled them, causing them to play fight on the floor.

**~ That's the end of Chapter 3! Please R&R :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4- Party

Chapter 4

"How was last night's rounds with _him_?" He sneered at his girlfriend. Lily rolled her eyes. This was getting ridiculous. Mark has been jealous of James; this has been going on for a month, ever since they got back to school. "It was fine, Mark. And _no_, nothing happened, so give it a rest." She answered harshly and quickly before he can say anything else. Tonight the Gryffindor house was holding a Halloween party in the common room. Lily said "Listen, I better get going. The girls are waiting for me at the party. I'll see you around. And _no_, I won't snog James senseless." She turned her back at him, rolled her eyes and marched to her common room.

"He's infuriating!" Lily met up with Marlene, Alice and Dorcas at the common room. "What happened now?" Alice asked curiously. Lily told them what had happened. "I don't know what to do." Lily was exasperated. Marlene wanted to take Lily's mind off things and grabbed a glass of Firewhiskey from a table and gave it to her "Drink this; it'll make you feel better." Lily had never drunk it before and was always curious about it. She shrugged and took the glass from Marlene. Dorcas and Alice gave Marlene looks as Lily drank. Marlene caught their gazes and asked innocently "What?"

James looked around the common room and most of the 6th and 7th year students were drunk, but not too much. Muggle rock bands' records were booming from enchanted record players. _'Great music!', _he thought to himself_ as _it was still the beginning of the party. He wondered where Lily had gone. _'Is she with Mark or in her room, perhaps?'_, his thoughts wandered. When he saw glasses of Firewhiskey, he wondered who smuggled it in. Sirius gave him a side hug and grinned "What a party! The Firewhiskey's great, huh?" James nodded when he thought about what Sirius had said. "You brought in the alcohol?" "Yeah, mate." Sirius answered proudly. "You better hope that McGonagall doesn't come in!" He reprimanded his best friend. Sirius looked at him and roared with laughter "Geez Prongs, you sound like Evans!" This struck a chord for James "Have you seen her by any chance?" Sirius took a sip from his glass and shook his head. James parted from him and went around looking for her.

He searched among the crowd until he finally found her with Marlene. "Hey girls. Are you alright, Lily?" He asked, worried. Lily was completely intoxicated; her hair was a mess and was playing with an arm chair. Marlene was also drunk, but not like Lily. "It was my fault; I shouldn't have let her drink so much." Marlene whined. James was worried and yet amused to see Lily so carefree and loose. "How much did she drink?" He asked her. Marlene squinted and mumbled "Um…about this many?" She held out 5 fingers and giggled "I'm not sure." And with that, she unexpectedly sat on Lily. Lily shouted "Get off, you cow!" Marlene roared with laughter, and James couldn't help but laugh along. James pulled Marlene off Lily and helped Lily get up from the arm chair. "Marlene, you can sit down now." James said it as if talking to a little girl, and smiled at the drunken blonde.

James took Lily outside, away from the party. He seated her on the staircase outside their common room. Lily shivered. Seeing this, James gave her his coat. "Thanks." She said to him in a voice above a whisper. There was an awkward silence between them until James chuckled "This was probably the first time you drank Firewhiskey." "And my _last_. I feel pretty bad." Lily muttered. "Did something happen that made you drink like that?" He inquired. Lily looked at him _'You can trust him'_, her thoughts encouraged her. She nodded and replied "Mark and I are having some problems. It seems that he has jealousy issues; he clearly doesn't trust me. He's pissing me off!" She found herself crying in front of James. "I'm frustrated with him. I don't know what to do." She wiped her tears. He hated seeing her like this, crying over a loser. He wished he could kiss her and wish it all away. Lily rested her head on his shoulder unexpectedly. James clearly took this by surprise, but he gained composure and started stroking her silk like hair. _'Merlin, she's so beautiful'_, he gushed. "It'll be alright." He reassured her. A silence came over them until she mumbled "Thank you, James."

Lily woke up at 11:30 a.m. with a headache. "I feel like shit." She muttered to herself when she heard Marlene mutter "You can say that again." They looked at each other and held their laughter; their hair was a total mess and they noticed they fell asleep with the clothes they've worn at the party. They laughed quietly so they wouldn't wake up the other girls. Marlene looked to her right and saw that Dorcas wasn't in her bed. Lily peered over and said "Maybe she's in the common room." Marlene nodded. She got up and went to the bathroom.

They got dressed in clean clothes and went downstairs. They met up with Dorcas, sat down by the fire and talked about yesterday. "I'm sorry for letting you drink so much." Marlene apologized. "It's alright. Luckily for me, James sat with me." Lily said. Marlene's eyebrows shot up in surprise "Oh, really? And…?" Lily chuckled "And what, Mar? You think we'd kiss? Nothing happened because he knows I'm with someone else. Anyway, what happened with you?" "Nothing, really. I danced with Sirius a bit and had a philosophical conversation with a drunken Remus." Marlene chortled. Lily shook her head and laughed "Oh, God!" There was a missing piece in the puzzle. "How did I get into bed?" Lily asked her friends. Dorcas spat out "James asked me to take you up to bed, you know, because he can't come up to our dorms." Lily nodded "I see. What happened with you, Dor?" "Well, I didn't drink much, but I danced like crazy! My feet are killing me!" Dorcas whined before her friends laughed.

"You didn't expect that she should jump on you and kiss you senseless, right?" Remus asked James. They were awake and sitting in their room, discussing yesterday's events. He quickly answered "No, I didn't. I just wanted to be around her, to make sure she was alright. She's been having trouble with Mark, that tosser!" He admitted to his friends that he was jealous of him. To them, it was quite obvious. "The good news is that she feels comfortable around you." Remus said. "You think so?" James asked him. Remus in returned nodded.

They went to lunch, and as they were eating, Marlene couldn't help but notice secret looks and smiles between Lily and James. She always hoped that they would end up together, but to her disappointment, they didn't. She knew he would always be there for Lily, unlike Mark. But she definitely kept that to herself.


	5. Chapter 5- A Cunning Decision

**Sirifoy here! Thanks for reading my story :) Here's Chapter 5, enjoy!**

Chapter 5

The following weeks were a nightmare for Lily; she had been sick and almost got detention for arguing with Mark in the corridors. Their fighting made her school work deteriorate and James, along with the professors, noticed this. He offered to help her, but she declined politely saying that it was a little 'hiccup'. She knew deep down she needed either to have a long talk with him or break up with him, but he beat her to it.

James was patrolling alone; Lily was sick with the flu and was ordered to stay in bed. He sat down on a nearby bench to rest a bit. He thought about her and how unhappy she has been with her boyfriend. To comfort her, James sent her a box of chocolates and a funny letter to make her laugh a bit. He thought about the past weeks and how quickly they got along since he changed his behavior. His thoughts were cut short when he heard a girl squeal "Mark!" His head turned to the direction where he heard that voice.

He got up from the bench and walked. He went past a statue and turned right when he heard moaning. "Well well, Valentine." James said to the kissing couple in front of him. Mark pushed the girl away from him and said "Potter! It's not what it looks like…" James cocked his eyebrow "Oh? So you were glued to each other's lips? That would be a fascinating story to tell Lily." He smirked at him as Mark paled. "Don't tell her, please. I don't want to hurt her. I'll do anything." James raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise "Anything?" This was James' big chance to finally win her heart, if only she were _alone_…

James knew that if Lily was ever to find out, she would be furious, and might not even talk to him. But, he didn't seem to care about that right now; he wanted to risk it for Lily's dignity. He wouldn't let her date someone who didn't deserve her, someone who cheated on her. What were the chances she would know? James finally answered "Alright. I won't tell her _if_ you break up with her."

Mark knew that he was doing this so Lily won't be upset with him about him cheating on her. Mark thought that this was a win-win situation; Lily wouldn't know he cheated and he could be happy with someone else. Throughout the weeks, Mark was unhappy in their relationship, but didn't think about talking to Lily about it. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her. The next day, he spotted her at the Great Hall with Marlene. He walked to the Gryffindor table and as he came closer to Lily's direction, Marlene nudged her and Lily turned to look at him. "I need to talk to you." He said to her.

She followed him out. They sat down on a staircase nearby the entrance of the Great Hall. Mark cleared his throat and said "Well, I'm glad you feel better." Lily gave him a weak smile "What is it, Mark?" "You know we've been arguing for a while-" Mark looked at Lily, who nodded. Mark went on "And, um…I don't know how to say this, but I don't think we should be together anymore." Lily blinked and shook her head "W-what are you saying? You want to break up?" "That's exactly what I'm saying." Lily was silent. Mark felt awkward "Lily, please say something." "I felt equally unhappy with you. It looks like you beat me to it." "We can be-" "No, you and I can _never_ be friends. You're a jealous prat who clearly doesn't trust his partners." And with that, she left him there alone and went back to sit with Marlene.

"That selfish ass!" Marlene bellowed. Lily quickly silenced her "Shh! Mar, it's not a big deal. I would've done it already, but he came to me first." "Who did?" They turned to see Dorcas joining them. Lily sighed and muttered "Mark broke up with me." Dorcas shook her head "He doesn't deserve you. But I have to admit, I thought it would happen sooner." "What?! I thought you were their #1 supporter." Marlene exclaimed. Lily chuckled. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but a week ago I saw him flirting with a girl. I'm _so_ sorry." Dorcas lowered her head. Lily was pissed. She abruptly got up and walked to the Ravenclaw, where she incidentally saw Mark laughing with his friends. Mark stopped as soon as her she fiery green eyes glared at him. "Lily? What's wrong?" he asked her. She looked at a lemonade pitcher on their table. She suddenly grabbed it and poured it on him. "That's for flirting with Larissa Jones while going out with me!"

James sat on a chair in the common room. He was playing with his hair when he saw Lily storm into the room and sit on the sofa, facing the fireplace. James stopped fiddling with his hair and got up from the chair. He came closer to her and asked gently "What happened?" Lily turned to look at him, startled "I thought I was alone here." There was a slight pause and he sat down next to her. "Mark broke up with me. I should've known; we were miserable. We've been fighting even before we came back to school. But why break up with me _now_?" James shrugged "I guess he couldn't take it anymore; maybe he wanted to give it another chance." Lily snorted and burst into laughter. James glowed; he loved her laugh, but couldn't help but laugh along "What's so funny?" He asked as Lily stopped laughing and told him about the lemonade scene. James roared with laughter "That's the Lily I know and love!" Lily gave him a curious look. James ceased laughing and looked at her; he remembered what he said and cleared his throat. "Sorry about that; it was a silly outburst. But you do know that I care about you, right?" James said. Lily nodded and added "You couldn't possibly love me, anyway. You barely know me."

There was a pause until James abruptly stood up and said "Your middle name is Katherine. You have a sister named Petunia, who gave you hell when you found out you're a witch. You love cats and your favorite ice cream flavor is Pistachio. You love to dip your feet in the lake and to scare your friends. You bite your lip when you're concentrating or nervous. So don't tell me that I barely know you; and besides, I think it's the opposite- that _you_ don't know me."

He looked at her and bent down to wipe her tears with his thumbs. She was stunned; he had indeed knew a lot about her. "You deserve so much better than him." He whispered to her. Lily was bewildered; he was right. She didn't know much about him. He bade her goodnight and was about to go upstairs when she called his name. He turned around to see her standing. "You're right, James. I think we can change that. Thanks for cheering me up." James gave her a smile and went up to his bed. Lily went up to her bed and closed the door after her. She hugged her teddy bear and smiled _'James' right, I deserve someone better than Mark. Maybe someone I already know?' _She shook her head at that thought, got up from her bed and went to the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6- Baths and Christmas Eve

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing my story :) This chapter was inspired by EllaMennowPea's "Nothing Like a Bath to Help You Relax", and includes a little saucy part. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 6

After patrolling with James, Lily was tired. She was still upset about the break up and desperately needed to calm down. Marlene advised her to go to the Prefect's bath and soothe herself in a warm bubble bath. Complying, she went upstairs to her trunk at the end of her bed and took out a towel and clean clothes. She smelled her jasmine scented towel and smiled. She gathered her things and went downstairs. Marlene grinned at her as she came down the stairs. Dorcas giggled and squealed "Have fun!" Lily gave them a smile, thanked Dorcas and the portrait door closed after her.

Arriving at the bathroom door, she muttered the password. The door opened, leading her to a small room with benches and many baskets of towels and dirty laundry. She spotted the mahogany door which led to the glorious bath. She opened it widely, only to close it shut again; the bath was apparently taken. Her cheeks reddened, worrying she had seen some _things_. She opened again the door, which was kept open ajar when she caught a glimpse of a young man standing. His black hair wasn't wet yet. He was standing in the large tub, which produced colorful soap.

When he turned sideways to reveal his profile, her eyes widened in surprise _'It's James_!', but couldn't help but look at his backside; it was small and tight. She chuckled at his skin down _there_; it was whiter than the rest of his body. James was tan due to Quidditch practice and games. She looked at his broad shoulders and found herself biting her lips. Oh, how she loved shoulders. Lily was a virgin; she hadn't found the right person for her and she didn't feel ready with Mark and yet, she had sexual desires. Lily snapped out of it when James slowly sat down in the tub. She came back to her senses when she realized once again it was James she was watching.

She heard him sigh. It was during this time when Lily got tired of holding her things; she knew she wouldn't be taking a bath. She put her things on a nearby bench and returned to watch James.

He wet his hair and leaned his head. His hair slicked back made him more appealing to her. Lily couldn't see his hands anymore. Her head warned her that she should leave now, but her heart was curious. She kept on watching him until she heard him moan. She covered her mouth in shock; she was watching him pleasuring himself. She saw the water was in motion, along with his hand. This was too much for her; she had no intention to pry. When she was about to close the door, she heard him moan her name.

She ran quickly to the common room before he could find out she was there. Relieved that Dorcas and Marlene weren't around, she put her belongings back to where they were and sat down on her bed. She couldn't stop thinking about what she saw. _'Does he do that a lot?_ _I can't believe that he said my name!_' But deep down, she was flattered that she was still in his fantasies. 

Soon Christmas time arrived. A time to share with loved ones, to exchange presents and kiss under the mistletoe. Luckily for Hogwarts' students, they had another trip to Hogsmeade in order to buy gifts.

Lily fastened her scarf as she shivered from the cold breeze. She smiled; she loved Christmas, especially to play with her friends in the snow. She already bought presents for her friends, except for James. She entered Zonko's Joke Shop to buy a gift for him. She chuckled and shook her head; _'what a silly shop'_. As she walked through the store, she remembered her _embarrassing _intrusion. She had to admit, he was a lot nicer this year; he hadn't picked on Snape. She grabbed a basket and took a few tricks, but not without trying them herself. _'I just hope he doesn't already have these', _she walked out of the store with her self-made basket. She imagined his reaction and grinned "No doubt that he'll love it." She said to herself and walked her way to 'The Three Broomsticks'.

The Marauders were also walking around in Hogsmeade. James and Remus were in one store, and Sirius and Peter in another. Remus was helping James with Lily's gift. He didn't know what to buy her. To James' relief, Alice was in the same store. She gave him a tip to buy her earrings. "Thank you so much!" James exclaimed before she gave him a 'thumbs up' and left the store. Remus said "Thank Merlin she was here" and chuckled. James guffawed and peered over to look at the counter which included earrings. The store clerk, a young woman, beamed at him and asked "Is it for someone special?" James looked up to answer her. "Yes, it is actually. Could you, umm…?" She immediately understood his problem. "Help you out? Sure! Let's see…" It was clear that she was looking for a certain pair. She pulled out an emerald pear shaped pair of earrings "These I would take in a heartbeat." James looked at them and imagined Lily with them; they would look magnificent on her- everything looked great on her. "How much are they?" "350 Galleons." She answered. Remus raised his eyebrows in shock; they were expensive in his opinion. James simply pulled out his wallet and said "I'll take them."

Marlene and Dorcas were apart from Lily because she wanted to buy gifts for them on her own. But it wasn't long before Marlene and Dorcas were separated. After buying presents, Dorcas had one last person on her list: Remus. Her secret fascination with Remus started during their 6th year, when he offered to help her with one of their Potions assignments. There were times when, as she noticed, Remus was sick. That was odd to her, but nevertheless, she sent him anonymous 'Get Well' baskets with treats. She was having a hard time deciding whether to buy him a gift or not; she wondered what it was like to be with him and if he had bought something for her.

Marlene, on the other hand, had bought a gift for Sirius; she saw him only as a friend. She bought him a few magazines about Quidditch and a t-shirt of the Chudley Cannons, his favorite team. _'He would love it; it'd be awesome!' _She grinned; she knew that's what he wanted. As soon as she saw the Marauders (excluded Sirius), she told them so they wouldn't give him the same present. She hoped that their common room wouldn't be covered in mistletoe. She groaned at that thought; the Marauders might do that.

Remus was sitting on a bench with Peter. They were waiting for Sirius and James so they can return to Hogwarts. He saw Dorcas walking past them; they shared a smile before she entered a shop. Remus kept looking at the store, hoping she would come out and join them at the bench. To his disappointment, he hadn't known much about her. There was something about her that drew him. Despite her chubby appearance, he had a hunch that still waters run deep, in her case. He wanted to get a chance to know her.

As soon as they got to the common room, the girls quickly went upstairs to hide their presents from the boys. "I'm _not_ going to tell you what I bought you, Mar!" Lily giggled at her friend's pout. Marlene went down on her knees "Please, Lil! Or you could tell me what you bought for James." She grinned mischievously. Dorcas lied on her bed on her stomach and lay her chin on the palm of her hand; she was suddenly interested. "I bought him a few tricks from Zonko's and equipment for his broom." Lily said. Marlene furrowed her eyebrows "I don't remember a place for Quidditch things in Hogsmeade." "Oh, there's a small shop next to 'Dervish & Banges'." "Okay." "I have to tell you something." Dorcas said suddenly. Marlene and Lily's silence was her cue to go on "I wasn't sure if I should buy Remus a gift."

They were confused "Why?" Lily asked. Dorcas played with her hair; this is what she did when she was nervous. She sighed "I don't know." "He's your friend, isn't he?" Marlene asked her. Dorcas was silent. "Dor? Come on, it's us! You can tell us anything, you know that." Lily reassured her. "Sometimes I wish he wasn't my friend, but something _more_." Dorcas said lowly. Marlene gaped at her "What?! You never told us you had a crush on him!" Lily smiled at Dorcas and said happily "I knew this would happen. I've seen the way you look at him. And besides, he's a great guy!" Dorcas blushed. "What about you and Jamesie-poo?" Dorcas asked suggestively and wiggled her eyebrows.

Marlene looked curiously at Lily. Lily shook her head "Nothing! I mean, we're friends. Even if I _did_ want him, I couldn't." "Huh? Why not?" Marlene asked. "I'm scared. I'm afraid that he'll use me, that he wants only one thing." Dorcas and Marlene looked at each other and roared with laughter. Baffled, Lily asked "What's so funny?" When they finally stopped, Dorcas wiped her tears and said "You're a cracker, Lil." "You're such an idiot. Why would he go out of his way to court you, if he only wants sex?" Marlene was frustrated with her red-haired friend. "Because I'm 'hard to get'?" Marlene gave Lily a look. "No, he likes you. Get it through your thick skull. He doesn't want to screw it up with you." Marlene replied. Lily was quiet; she hadn't thought about that. She was about to say something when she heard a scream.

The girls went down the stairs frantically to reveal James kneeling on the floor, sobbing. He had received a letter, as Remus informed the girls. Lily ran to his side "What happened?" She inquired. She kneeled beside him as James looked at her. Lily was startled; she had never seen him like his before. His hazel eyes darkened as he handed her the letter. Lily gasped as she read the letter; Mr. and Mrs. Potter were murdered. "Oh, James, I'm so sorry." She hugged him as the others gave their condolences.

James knew he had nowhere to go. He was alone; on Christmas, any other time. To have known about their murder in school crushed him. He didn't want to go back home for Christmas- he would reminisce and become immersed in their deaths. Instead, he preferred to be at Hogwarts with his friends; he knew they would be the perfect diversion. The fact that Lily was staying as well made his heart soar. He felt safe when she hugged him; he felt complete.

The next day was Christmas Eve. The Marauders had been trying to support James and comfort him throughout the day. Lily offered to patrol alone, but he refused, not wanting to let anything happen to her during their duty. They did a short patrol so they could get ready for the early Christmas feast. Standing in front of the portrait door, James asked her "Can you meet me at the common room after dinner? There's something I need to give you." Lily raised an eyebrow "Oh?" James smiled as he went on "Yes. Can you?" Lily nodded. James flashed a grin at her and muttered the password to the portrait.

Peter handed out the gifts in the morning and boarded the train back to London; he wasn't staying at Hogwarts. The six of them sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, along with a few more students. Most of the students had traveled back to their families for the holiday. Dorcas was sniggering; Sirius was pestering Marlene. "Pleeeeeaseee tell me what you bought for me!" He begged. Marlene told him to open his mouth. He complied as she stuffed an apple in his mouth. Their friends stifled their laughter. "Now you'd shut up. You know I won't tell you." Sirius took out the apple and said "You could've just said so." And with that, their friends burst into laughter.

After eating, James and Lily were about to exit the Great Hall but not without hearing wolf whistles behind them. They looked to see their friends cackling and grinning. Lily and James looked at each other and chuckled. "Idiots." James noted. "Yeah, tell me about it." Lily agreed. "That's the first time they've ever agreed on something!" Sirius said dramatically. Marlene rolled her eyes.

As the portrait door closed behind them, James told Lily that he would be right back. Lily sat on the couch, by the fireplace. She was focused on looking at the flames and didn't notice that James was already sitting next to her. He waved a hand in front of her face, which made her jump. James laughed as Lily gave him a playful punch on the arm. Lily tucked her hair behind her ears. James smirked at her. "I wanted to thank you for supporting me. I also wanted to wish you Merry Christmas alone and to give you this…" He handed her a small wrapped box. "Merry Christmas, Lily. I hope you like it." Lily smiled and said "Thank you, James. Merry Christmas." She opened her gift and widened her eyes as she saw what is was. "Oh, James, they're beautiful!" She gushed as she pulled out the earrings from the box. "But I can't take them." "What are you talking about? It's _your_ gift." James insisted. "I hope they didn't cost much." She blushed as she said this. James came closer to her as he said "It doesn't matter. You're worth it." She gave him a swift hug before going upstairs "Thanks for the gift. Now it's my turn!" He waited for her as she quickly returned with a bigger gift.

"Here's yours." She handed him the present as she sat down. He opened it and gasped "Thanks, Lily! I haven't bought these jokes yet. Thanks!" He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. There was an awkward pause, until James apologized "I'm sorry. That was way out of line. I guess I got a bit excited." Lily wasn't mad about it, just surprised. She knew he was upset about his parents, and this was his way to deal with his grief- being with her and kissing her. But she also knew she liked him, but she couldn't let James know. But, her heart won and she kissed him on the lips. James moved the bag away from him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Her fingers were in his hair as his hands were on her waist, threatening to go lower. Lily, who had started the kiss, stopped it abruptly. She wiped her bottom lip with her thumb as she looked at him. She saw desire in his eyes; that was what she was afraid of. She got up from the couch with her present, and left him alone in the common room.

Remus, Marlene, Dorcas and Sirius entered the common room and say that James was alone. "Where's Lily?" Marlene asked. By the look on James' face, they knew something had happened. "Lily kissed me." James said. Sirius grinned "That's what you wanted mate all this time! Right?" James looked at him and said "Not like this. When we stopped kissing, she looked at me with _this_ look; it was like she's afraid of me." Dorcas nodded "I'm not surprised. She doesn't know what she feels about you. She's always been afraid of the unknown." James didn't know what to make of this; he didn't want to lose her. He wasn't going to lose her. "She ran up to her room." James said and sighed. "I think you should try to talk to her." Marlene advised. "How? I called out her name; she won't hear me out." Marlene got angry; James Potter has never given up before. She hit him on the back of his head. "Ow! What did you do that for?!" James yelled, rubbing his head. "You're a Marauder. You'll think of a way." She stated. Sirius and Remus chortled as the girls went up to their room. James got up from the couch "What's so funny?" He asked them. "She has a lot of balls; I'll give her credit for that." Remus said. "She's right, mate. You have to talk to her." Sirius said. James knew Sirius was right. He wanted to know why Lily had stopped the kiss, and what made her kiss him in the beginning.


	7. Chapter 7- Christmas and Detention

**Sirifoy here :) Thank you very much for your support! I'm glad that you love my story. Here's Chapter 7!**

Chapter 7

It was Christmas morning. Dorcas opened her eyes and looked at a sleeping Lily and Marlene. She got up from her bed and rushed to the bathroom. The door slam woke Marlene up from her slumber. "Merlin Dorcas, could you slam the door any louder?" She grumbled as she rubbed her eyes. She got up and put on her slippers as she walked over to Lily's bed. She peered over to see Lily already awake.

"Lily? Are you crying?" Marlene asked as she heard Lily sniffle. Lily turned over to Marlene's direction. She saw there were tears in Lily's eyes. "I had a rough night. I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. He was a true gentleman; his hands didn't go far or anything. I got carried away. I shouldn't have kissed him." "James would try to confront you. You can't avoid him, you know." Marlene said. "You're right, but I can't talk to him right now. He must be pissed at me." Lily rose from her bed and sat on it. "He's a bit surprised, to say the least, and he might be a bit disappointed." "Why disappointed?" Lily asked, even though she could've guessed why. "Disappointed it didn't go further." Marlene smirked as Lily got up and chased her around the room until Dorcas opened the bathroom door. She stood there, wrapped in a towel, and looked at her friends. "Oh good, you're awake." Dorcas smiled at them. Marlene retorted "No thanks to you. You nearly broke the door down with that slam." Dorcas smiled apologetically.

They heard an owl screech from their window. "Someone's got mail!" Lily approached to the window and took the letter from it. "It's for me." Lily opened it to reveal James' handwriting.

'Lily,

I'm so sorry if I had scared you. I never meant to hurt or frighten you. I tried calling out your name, but you haven't answered. I guessed maybe you were in bed. I hope to see you at lunch and talk to you.

James'

"Oh, he's such a sweetheart!" Dorcas gushed after Lily read out the letter. "He's sorry about something he hasn't done. I should apologize for leading him on. It was my fault." Lily sighed. "You acted from your emotions. It's natural." Marlene soothed her. Lily snorted "Don't be ridiculous!" "Oh? So why _did_ you kiss him?" Dorcas asked. Lily was silent; _why did she kiss him?_ "Well, his parents were brutally murdered and I wanted to comfort him." Dorcas fell for it, but Marlene didn't buy it. She knew there was more to what Lily had said.

James couldn't help but smile a bit; his long-time crush had kissed him. He touched his lips and grinned. But when recalling her horrified expression after the kiss and his parents, his smile faded away. After getting up from bed, the next thing was to send Lily a letter, apologizing for last night. He didn't want to lose her; he has lost enough already. He hoped she didn't kiss him out of pity and knew if Lily wouldn't respond to it, he would try to get her attention at all costs. James half-smiled at the thought; he was used to it.

"A Chudely Cannons shirt! Thanks! You remembered." Sirius grinned as he opened Marlene's present. "Of course I did." Marlene said. "Yeah, baby!" Dorcas shouted and winked at her. Marlene gave her a look and threatened to hit her. They were sitting in the common room. James was upset; Lily hadn't come down yet. They were exchanging gifts and waiting for Lily. Hearing her coming down the stairs, James decided to wait for her at the bottom so she wouldn't ignore him. James stood there, waiting.

Lily looked at each stair as she went down. When she got to the one before the last one, she looked up and gasped; James was waiting for her. She widened her eyes as she looked at him. James said "Good morning. I hope you got my letter." Lily knew she had no way out; he blocked her every chance of escaping. She decided to put on a show; she gave him a smile and said "Good morning. And yes, I have received it." Before he could say anything, she pushed him away with all her might and went to sit down with her friends. Remus smirked at the lovesick boy, as James didn't know what to do.

She was completely ignoring James' comments in the common room. She knew that he was already hurt but she wasn't ready to tell him why she kissed him. In her eyes, ignoring him wasn't very convenient, but that's how she wanted to deal with it, for the time being.

During the afternoon, James and Sirius went down to the kitchens to grab some snacks. The girls, along with Remus, went outside to have fun in the snow. Marlene and Lily were having a snowball fight, while Dorcas and Remus were sitting on a bench near them.

Remus pulled out a square, flat medium sized gift for Dorcas. "I wanted to give you this when we were alone." He handed it to her and she opened it: it was a diary. "Thank you so much. It's lovely." Dorcas said. Remus' facial expression changed into a horrified look "Do you hate it? I can exchange it if you want." He hadn't understood. Dorcas said hastily "No, no, it's great! How did you know I love to write?" Remus smiled and replied "I saw you a couple of times writing in the common room." She thanked him again and confessed "I didn't know whether I should buy you a gift or not." "Why?" Remus asked, stunned. "You'll see." She hadn't answered his question. She put the diary aside and pulled out a rectangular box from her coat pocket. "You know how much I enjoy werewolf stories, right?" Dorcas asked. Remus nodded. "I hope you like my gift." She handed him the box, grabbed her diary and got up from the bench. "Merry Christmas, Remus." "Where are you going?" He didn't get an answer; she had left him to sit alone. He tore off the wrappings and opened the box to reveal a necklace with a full moon pendant. He inspected it and felt an engraving behind the pendant with his fingers. He turned it over to read a message: 'I long for you. D.M'

Sirius and James entered the common room with snacks. They put them on the table and sat down. They were munching when Remus entered. "Where've you been, Moony?" Sirius asked, with his mouth full. "Marlene's right, you _are_ a pig." Remus chuckled. Sirius swallowed and said "_Am_ not. So what's that in your hand?" Remus pulled up a chair and sat down with them. He showed them the necklace. "Blimey! How does she know about your _furry little problem_?" James asked. "I don't think she does, Prongs. She told me that she likes werewolf stories." Remus answered. Sirius grinned. Remus went on "But that's not the issue. This is-" and showed them the engraving. "I never would've guessed." James chortled. "Neither would I!" Sirius smirked. "What are you going to do?" James asked Remus. "I have no idea. I like her as a person, but I don't really know her. I guess only time will tell." Little did they know, Dorcas hid behind the girls' staircase and heard everything.

Christmas and New Years had passed and the students resumed studying. Lily was still avoiding James and was silent when patrolling with him. He didn't bother anymore about what happened, but soon enough it was starting to bother him again. He thought she would put it behind her and talk to him, but was wrong. During Transfiguration, James sat behind her and kept sending her letters and she was ignoring them. James was agitated and started whispering to Lily "Lily? Come on, I really need to talk to you. This it really starting to-" "-to what?" She turned around and whispered harshly. James was silent; she was mad at him for distracting her. She turned around to face McGonagall. James had enough; he constantly tapped her on the shoulder. "What!?" She turned around and bellowed at James. "Ms. Evans? Would you like to share something with the class?" Professor McGonagall addressed Lily. She blushed as everyone turned to look at her. James raised his hand and admitted "I'm sorry, Professor, it was my fault." McGonagall said "Detention, Mr. Potter, and you too, Ms. Evans. Come to my office after dinner." With that, she continued the lesson. Lily turned around, gave him a disbelieving look and resumed scribbling notes.

"I can't believe that idiot! He landed me in detention!" Lily ranted during lunch. "Not a bad plan." Marlene muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, Lily had heard her. "Why'd you say that?" She asked. "You see, Marlene told James that he should draw your attention so you would talk to him again." Dorcas said, getting a look from Marlene. "When did this happen?" "Two weeks ago, at Christmas." Dorcas answered Lily.

"She's mad at you as it is, Prongs. Why did you have to bother her?" Peter asked James. The boys had informed Peter about Christmas. "Now I'll probably get a chance to talk to her. All these times I tried, she either ran off or ignored me." James answered. "Good luck." Remus said. They finished eating and went off to their Charms class.

Lessons went on as usual and another day was over. Lily had finished her dinner and went off to McGonagall's office. James noticed this and thought she wanted to get a heads start. He took a few more bites and ran off. "4 Galleons she slaps him." Remus mumbled to Sirius. "You're on." Sirius muttered back. "You're _actually_ betting on them?" Marlene guffawed. Sirius grinned at her and said "Yeah. Want in?" Marlene mirrored his grin and handed him the money "I'm on your side. They would probably snog." Dorcas shook her head at the trio.

Lily and James met up with Professor McGonagall in her office. "You need to clean the trophy room without wands and _only_ the trophies." She instructed the Head Boy and Girl. James covered his laugh with a cough _'There are only about a million trophies in that room!' _he thought to himself_. _McGonagall took their wands and told them to come back to her office when they have finished.

They headed off to the trophy room on the 3rd floor. They entered the room and were shocked to see the amount of trophies; they had plenty of work to do. Lily took off her jacket to reveal her white buttoned up shirt. She removed her tie and looked for a rag and pail. James watched her every move as she filled up water from a faucet and started scrubbing the trophies. James followed her footsteps and removed his tie and jacket. He found a pail and filled it with water. He went behind her to fetch a rag and began cleaning. Lily was concentrating on cleaning the trophies when she was interrupted. "How long are you going to be like this? How long are you planning on not talking to me?" James demanded. Lily put back a clean trophy in the closet. Lily kept on cleaning until James grabbed the pail away from her "Stop it." She muttered and then looked at him. "You're driving me crazy, Lily! I haven't done anything to you, and yet I apologized. I just want to know what happened." James stared at her.

Lily looked deep into his eyes and confessed "I was scared. Your look freaked me out; you had this hungry look that intimidated me. I'm not used to seeing that look. I'm also afraid that you'd get carried away." James cocked an eyebrow "Do you know what it's like to want someone so much? I guess not. Well, I want you, Lily, and _not_ for sex. Believe me, if I had wanted only sex, I would have got it from somewhere else. I want to be with you, I want you to confide in me." There was an awkward pause until James went on "I have a question. Why did you kiss me?" Lily was trapped; after hearing James, she was relieved but couldn't help but wonder if she should tell him about her feelings for him. However, she knew he wouldn't let her go; it was now or never.

"I like you, James. I think underneath it all, you're a mature and responsible person. I grew to learn that you're a kind person." "So why not give me a chance? You wouldn't know until you try. I don't bite." They shared a chuckle. "Please give me a chance." James pleaded. Lily knew she had nothing to lose. In the worse case, they would break it off. "I would like to get to know you better and see where it would lead to." she said, smiling at him. He grinned at her as they went back to cleaning. _'Thank Merlin for detentions'_, he thought to himself, relieved.


	8. Chapter 8- Notes and Jealousy

Chapter 8

"So, how was detention?" Marlene asked Lily when she came back. Lily closed their door after her and said "Wasn't too bad." "You two kissed, didn't you?" She grinned at Lily. "No! But let's say we've reconciled." Lily mirrored her grin. Dorcas was surprised, as she asked "You've decided to give him a chance?" Lily nodded at her and replied "I told him that I wanted to see how it'd go." "Did he ask you out?" Marlene asked while buttoning up her pajama shirt. "He did. We're going out tomorrow." Lily answered. Dorcas cocked an eyebrow "How? We have school, and a curfew to remind you!" Lily shrugged. She didn't bother to think about that; she would know tomorrow.

"That was the _best_ detention I've ever had." James entered their room with a goofy grin plastered on his lips. "Looks like you didn't slap you." Remus muttered angrily. "Why would she slap me?" James asked and guffawed. "They had a bet. Remus thought she would slap you while Sirius and Marlene thought you would kiss." Peter mumbled. Remus handed Sirius the money as James laughed "You two are mad!" "Don't tell me you already asked her out." Remus said exasperatedly. "I did." James replied shortly. Remus groaned. "What did she say?" Sirius asked. "She said 'yes'. We're going out tomorrow; we don't have our rounds." "Merlin's beard. This day would be a day to remember." Remus said, stunned.

The next day couldn't have gone on by better for James; Lily permitted him to give her a kiss on the cheek, which made their friends coo and wolf-whistle. Remus told her that James couldn't wait for their date, which made her giggle a bit. James and Lily have been sharing secret smiles during their lessons.

Sirius has been annoying Marlene with his notes in their History of Magic class. She wrote to him 'Find yourself a girl already!' and quickly turned around to hand the note to him. He read it and chuckled. He scribbled something and handed it to her. She opened it to read 'I already did.' She was curious about his 'girl'. She couldn't explain the reason for it, but she was. She asked 'Who?' and handed it back to him. A few minutes later, she got her answer: 'You.' She showed the note to Lily and Dorcas, who were confused. She turned over the piece of parchment to write on the other side, took her feather and wrote 'Don't be a prat, Sirius. I know you're only joking.' She handed it back to him. Her heart was beating furiously as she waited for his reply. _'Was he joking?_', she wondered. She couldn't concentrate on the lesson.

It seemed like forever when she felt him tap her back and put the note on her shoulder. As she turned her head to the side, she took a whiff of his fragrance _'I never knew he smelled so good'_, she thought. She had her hand on his hand as she took it from him. They exchanged a quick look before she returned to look at her desk. She opened it hastily and read 'Of course I'm joking.' She let out a sigh; she was relieved. She knew Sirius; he always joked around. But the question was: why did he write it? Did he really mean that he was joking? _'Why should I care? We're only friends. A friend I've been having weird dreams about recently.' _This was true; she had several dreams about him. She hadn't told Lily or Dorcas about them. She had intimate ones, scary ones, you name it. She couldn't admit it, but she liked him; she has for a while, but wanted to keep it to herself. It wasn't that she didn't trust the girls, but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Unlike most girls, she knew Sirius' real personality and like Lily, she was afraid of getting hurt.

After History of Magic, they had a free period. James took this chance to lead Lily out of the classroom "Where are you taking me?" she demanded. They've reached a corner and hid behind it. James pulled out a cloak. Lily chuckled "What is-?" "This is an invisibility cloak." James cut her off and pulled it over them. "Where are we going? How did you get it?" she asked. They walked a bit more and found the one-eyed witch statue. James removed the cloak from them and moved the statue to reveal a passageway. He opened floor door to reveal a tunnel. And with that, they went in and arrived at Hogsmeade.

"We're in Honeydukes." But how did you-"? "We're Marauders, of course we know the secret passageways!" He said, as if it were obvious. Lily was stunned; apparently there were things she didn't know about their school. "This is amazing." Lily said in awe. James looked at her and grinned. They stepped out from the store and looked around them. "Would you like to go to 'The Three Broomsticks'?" Lily suggested. James smiled "Sure."

As they were walking Lily felt comfortable enough to link arms with him. James puffed out his chest and strutted, which made Lily giggle. "Who gave that cloak to you?" She asked. "My father gave it to me as a Christmas gift during our first year." He replied proudly. "It's definitely useful for your pranks!" She laughed. He smirked a bit and then replied "You have no idea."

When they arrived at the entrance, he opened the door for her. "Thank you." she said as he closed the door after him. They found a quiet spot in the corner. They removed their coats and sat down beside each other. Lily tucked her hair behind her ears. James took this chance to look at her; her striking green eyes glistened as she looked out the window. "You're gorgeous." He said quietly. Lily looked at him only to lower her face and look down "Thank you, _again_."

James lifted her face by placing a finger under her chin "You _are_! You don't have to thank me for telling the truth." Lily blushed as he said this. "I had never seen you so...so uncomfortable. You've awfully quiet." He added. "I have to admit, this is a bit odd. Who would've thought we'd go out on date?" Lily let out an airy laugh. A waitress took their order before James told her "I couldn't care less what others say about me." "No, I didn't mean it in that way! It's just that we've had a turbulent relationship and no one would ever expect us to go out with each other. I don't care about other people's opinions." Lily grinned at him. James licked his lips and gazed at her. The waitress came back with their order. They took a sip from their Butterbeer. After they did this, James asked her "Can I kiss you?" Lily looked at his lips; she definitely yearned for his kisses since their kiss on Christmas Eve. She nodded. James came closer and kissed her. Lily opened her mouth to let his tongue enter. James deepened the kiss by pulling her closer to him. Her fingers were soon in his hair as she moaned in his mouth.

James stopped the kiss "Enough. I don't want it to go any further, before we both regret it." Lily was confused "Why should you regret it?" James drank from his goblet and replied "Because the last thing I want to do is to hurt you. Marlene's right- you _do_ have a thick skull." He chuckled. "Huh? Why?" "Well, you don't seem to realize how much you mean to me. I've been hovering around you since the 4th year, isn't that saying something?" James stroke her hair. Lily gave him a swift kiss on the lips "You're right. You _have_ been pretty stubborn." "Still am." James proudly said. They chuckled.

Marlene changed to spandex pants and a "Led Zeppelin" long sleeved shirt and went out to her regular jog. Sirius, Peter and Remus were sitting on bench under a huge tree. Remus was reading and Peter was talking to Sirius when they heard someone call out Marlene's name. Remus didn't budge from his book. Sirius looked at the direction where he heard the voice and spotted Marlene jogging. She stopped to greet the guy who addressed her. He watched intently as she hugged the guy. "Padfoot? You're okay?" Peter shook him. Sirius turned to Peter "Yeah, mate.", and went back to look at them. Marlene shook her head and went on jogging as he hung his head in defeat and walked away. "That's right, walk away…" Sirius muttered, making Remus smile from behind his book.

"By the way, how's Dorcas?" Sirius asked. Remus closed his book and answered "I don't know. We haven't talked since. It's been awkward, to say the least. I never knew how she felt about me." "You should clear things up with her." Peter interjected as Remus sighed "I suppose you're right."

Marlene talked to Jeremy Gibbons, a 7th year Hufflepuff. He wanted to jog with her, but declined saying that she would like to jog alone. She looked around and noticed Sirius watching them intently. _'What does he want? Why is he looking? Maybe he's jealous…_', she wondered. As she was running, she snorted _'Why would he be jealous? I mean, we're only friends. Perhaps he wants us to be more than friends?' _As she ran around for the last time, she noticed that Sirius wasn't sitting on the bench anymore. She stopped, caught her breath and went up to her dorms.

As the portrait door closed after her, she spotted Sirius sitting in the common room. She sensed that he was angry about something. Sirius looked up from his newspaper to see her. He locked eyes with her as she stretched. Sirius threw the newspaper aside and asked her "Who was he?" Marlene let out an airy laugh "Why do you care?" "Whoever he is, he isn't right for you!" He yelled at her. Marlene snorted "Who the hell made you in charge of my choices in life?" Sirius replied sternly "No one. But he still isn't the guy for you." No one has ever made him feel this way before. Marlene asked "What's up your ass, anyway? You never cared about who I hang around with." Sirius was silent. She then retorted "I don't owe you anything, mind your own business. You're not my boyfriend!" There was a deafening silence between them.

They were dangerously close; it was about this time when their friends thought they would hurt each other. Sirius grabbed Marlene by the nape of her neck and kissed her hard. Dorcas gasped as Remus grinned. The portrait door opened to reveal James and Lily. "What the hell?!" Lily shouted, making the kissing couple grow apart. "Nice going, Padfoot!" James clapped Sirius on the back. Marlene blushed and said to Sirius "We need to talk. Now." She led him outside of the common room.

After the door closed behind them, Marlene asked "Why did you kiss me? Why did you have to embarrass me in front of our friends?" "I like you, _a lot_. I couldn't find a way to tell you, so I kissed you. When I saw you with that guy, I went nuts. After that, Remus took the mickey out of me because I was fooling myself, fooling myself for not admitting it. You've always been special to me Mar, and today it showed me just how much." He replied. Marlene was curious about the note "Were you really joking about the 'finding a girl' thing?" Sirius was confused "What?" "Well, the part about me being the girl you've found." Sirius placed his hands on her waist, pulled her close to him and whispered "No, I wasn't." and gave her a passionate kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Marlene and Sirius decided to keep a low profile; only their friends knew about their relationship. They wanted to see how things will continue, like Lily and James. The next morning, Marlene and Sirius were holding hands under the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Sirius indeed surprised his friends when he kissed her; to him, it was the right way to show her how he felt.

Remus asked Dorcas "Would you like to study with me in the library? I mean, after classes." Obviously the Marauders knew about the necklace and were waiting silently for her response. Marlene and Lily had no idea and thought it was a casual question. Dorcas, who saw a look of desperation in his eyes, swallowed her food and replied "Sure, why not?"

After a tiring day, they had a couple of hours until dinner. Dorcas and Remus met up and walked to the library. "We need to talk." Remus said unexpectedly, not looking at her. Dorcas nodded "Yes, we do." They entered the library, and found themselves a vacant area. They removed their bags from their backs and sat down on wooden chairs.

There was a pause before Remus initiated the conversation "I saw the message behind the necklace." He pulled out the necklace underneath his shirt and asked "What's the meaning of this?" She eyed the pendent and replied quietly "Exactly what it says. I like you, Remus. I know we don't know much about each other, but I know I want to be with you. There's more to you than meets the eye, and that's what I like." "You can say that again." He muttered to himself. There was a slight pause. "Do you mind telling me about your 'furry little problem'?" Dorcas asked. "Where did you hear this?" Remus paled a bit. Dorcas found his reaction a bit odd. "I overheard you in the common room." "I'm a bit hairy, so we like to call it a 'furry little problem'." He thought fast. "I see." Another awkward pause. "To tell you the truth, I don't know if I feel the same way. I mean, we barely know one another." Remus could almost hear her heart breaking in front of him, but she tried her best to cover it up. "You're making excuses. We can always get to know each other. Or maybe you just don't want to give it a chance?" She said angrily. Remus shook his head "I want to, but I don't want to hurt you. I'm not good for you." "Don't you tell me what's good for me and what isn't!" She retorted. He has never seen her angry like this before. She got up from her chair, collected her bag and said "Keep the damn necklace." She left him alone and speechless.

_'I'm clearly an idiot'_, he thought to himself. He found himself walking back alone to the common room. _'I just wanted to make a point, and instead I made her get upset with me'. _Did he really mean it when he said he wasn't good for her? He was a werewolf! What kind of life would he give her? A life with nightmares and injuries? No. He wouldn't do that to her. She seemed to him as a nice girl who shouldn't be with someone like him. He was in a rather gloomy mood.

Remus entered the common room to see his friends waiting for him. "Well, how was studying with Dorcas?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. James' grin faded when he saw his friend was upset "What happened?" Remus sat beside them. "I told her that I wasn't sure I felt the same way. I added that I wasn't good for her." Remus shared. "Merlin, and I thought I was stupid." Sirius said after smacking his forehead. Remus got up furiously "What was I supposed to say, Sirius? _'Hey Dorcas, let's be together and love me as a werewolf?'_ No! No girl would ever accept that. I have to face my fate." "You don't have to! Give it a shot, Moony. You'd get to know her while you're seeing her." James advised him. Remus shook his head; he was very confused.

After a couple of dates, James and Lily were closer. After a patrol as Heads, Lily and James were snogging. She was leaning on a wall as James pressed his body on hers, causing her to moan. She had her right leg wrapped around James' hip, which made his hand crawl up her skirt. She slapped his hand away and lowered her leg to the floor. "That's enough." She said sternly, startling James. "I'm sorry. I know I crossed the line." He apologized. She noticed her tone of voice was harsh and immediately apologized. "Don't. You're right, as usual. It's good that we're taking this slow." James gave her a soft smile. Changing the subject, Lily asked "What's wrong with Remus lately? Is he ill?" James was quiet; he knew that in a few days, there would be a full moon. "He's a bit sick, yes. He'll feel better soon, don't worry." He smiled at her. Her smile faded when she heard people coming closer.

"Potter, Evans." Jessica Lane addressed them as she smirked at them. "Lane…Mark?" Lily asked in surprise. Mark was stunned "Hi, Lily. Potter." He nodded curtly to James. "You're outside after curfew. We need to report this." James stated, pulling out a piece of parchment. "Don't be ridiculous, Potter. We can settle this between us." Jessica said while wrapping her arm around Mark's waist. "Afraid not." James said. "You don't want to do that, trust me. Should you do, I'll tell Lily a little secret." Jessica grinned evilly. Mark pleaded in a whisper "Jess, don't." Jessica snorted "Where are your balls, Mark? Did you lose them?" Mark was silent. James was about to write their names when Jessica said quickly "_He_ and Mark had a deal, Evans." "Lane, don't go there." James, who now understood what she meant, ordered her. "What deal?" Lily inquired, looking at James. James ripped the parchment, making Jessica smile sweetly and drag Mark away from there. Lily was curious and upset: What was James hiding from her?

James was quiet; he didn't want to talk about anything at the moment, and yet, he didn't want Lily to suspect. He piped out "How was it, seeing Mark?" Lily shrugged replied shortly "I couldn't care less. What was Lane talking about?" "She was just joking." He laughed a nervous laugh, making her unconvinced. They remained silent until they finished their rounds.

"James is hiding something from me. What do you think?" She told her friends what happened with Jessica and Mark. "You should trust him. Maybe she really was joking." Dorcas wondered. Marlene shook her head "I smell something fishy. I say, talk to him about it. I mean, he's hardly even nervous about anything." Lily didn't know what to do. She wanted to read in the common room, so she grabbed her book and exited her room. As she went down the staircase, she heard someone throw something, causing it to break on the floor. She peeked from the wall to see James' face redden "I can't lose Lily!" James exclaimed. "Why would you lose her? I thought everything was fine." Remus asked. "Things couldn't be better, Moony." James replied, making Lily's heart soar. "What's up, Prongs?" She heard Sirius ask. She leaned on the wall before someone would see her.

"I didn't tell you guys before, but I made a deal with Valentine." James confessed. "Who?" Peter asked. "Lily's ex-boyfriend." James answered. "What exactly was the deal?" Remus inquired. "That if I wouldn't tell her that he cheated on her, he would break up with her." James said sadly. There was a deafening silence. Lily was surprised; she had never expected him to pull a stunt like that. He tricked her into falling for him. Her puzzlement caused her to drop her book accidently, causing it to collide on the floor and make noise. She was about to grab her book, when she saw that someone already picked it up. She looked up to see Sirius. He handed it to her. She quickly grabbed it, walked over to James and hit him with the book with all her might. James, stunned to see her, also didn't expect to get hit by a book.

"I deserved that." James muttered. "How dare you lie to me? Why did you do it?" Lily seethed. "It's not what you think! I protected your honor! Would you have rather heard it from him, or see him messing around with someone else?" James defended himself. Lily let out an airy laugh "My honor? Don't be absurd! What would you know about honor? Clearly, you have no respect for me. You made that deal so that it would be easier for you to get me. And yes, I would've rather hear the truth from _him_ than lies from _you_. James Potter, you disgust me." She gave him a disgusted look and went up to her room. "Lily! I'm so sorry, Lily!" He tried to run after her, but it was useless; the staircase would transform into a slide if he were to go after her. Instead, he kneeled down at the stairs and wept "I'm an idiot." Sirius helped him up and sat him down on one of the chairs.


End file.
